My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 34 | Summer Drills and Jealousy | Novela.app

Chapter 34 - Summer Drills and Jealousy If it could be said that Yu Tianwu had been somewhat secretive about her relationship with Liu Yan during the spring, those days were long gone. After a half-year honeymoon phase, the arrival of the sophomore year saw her making no effort to hide her bliss from her roommates. She was either glued to her phone, whispering sweet nothings during long calls, or simply not returning to the dorm at night. Zhennan University differed from many other institutions in its scheduling; military training did not occur during the freshman year, but rather at the start of the sophomore autumn. This particular summer was exceptionally grueling, with the heat lingering like a heavy, humid shroud. All sophomore students were organized into neat ranks on the scorched athletics field, divided strictly by their secondary genders. In stark contrast to the university’s usually liberal and inclusive atmosphere, the administration held military training to a rigorous standard. Every year, they contracted active-duty units to drill the students, ensuring the discipline was authentic and unforgiving. Li Zi was assigned to the first Alpha platoon, where she was joined by Yu Tianwu. Their other roommates, Hua Yi and Xie Bing, were scattered among different squads. "Attention! Stand at ease! Forward—march!" A deep, magnetic voice rang out, commanding the formation with practiced authority. "Did you lot skip breakfast? A pack of Alphas marching like you're out for a Sunday stroll? Soft! Pathetic!" The instructor barked, his eyes sharp as flint. "Straighten those backs! Kick those legs high! If you can't get them straight, I’ll personally snap them into position for you!" Li Zi and Yu Tianwu’s instructor was a Beta officer who clearly held a position of seniority among the staff. He was a hard taskmaster, and Yu Tianwu felt as though she were being ground into the very dust of the track. "You. Step out." The instructor’s finger suddenly leveled at Li Zi. The rest of the squad immediately wore expressions that screamed, *Here we go again.* "Look at her! Is a proper goose-step really that difficult?" the instructor shouted, gesturing toward Li Zi. "If you were my soldiers and couldn't manage this, you’d have been kicked out of the barracks yesterday. I could pull someone from the Omega ranks next door who has more spirit than this entire lot!" He had Li Zi stand at the front of the formation. Her silhouette was elegant yet firm, her fair complexion partially shaded by the brim of her cap. Following his commands, she tightened her core and demonstrated the movements with clinical precision. From the very first day, the instructor had made no secret of his admiration for Li Zi, claiming she had the highest potential for military service he had ever seen in a civilian. She possessed high endurance, unwavering focus, and a meticulous approach to every task. Over the past few days, Li Zi had been hauled out as a "model soldier" countless times. However, this "favoritism" brought no perks. She didn't get a second of extra rest; instead, because the instructor wanted her to lead the final exhibition performance, he often pulled her aside for grueling supplementary drills. By the time she returned to the dorm each evening, she was so exhausted she wanted nothing more than to collapse into a dreamless sleep. On the afternoon of the third day, as the session drew to a close, the students collapsed onto the ground without a shred of dignity, letting the dust coat their sweat-slicked uniforms. During the break, it was customary to sing or perform to keep spirits up. This group of Alphas, emboldened by exhaustion, began to jeer. They had seen a viral trend online of men opening water bottles with their abdominal muscles and began chanting for the instructor to give it a try. The instructor’s face darkened. "You little brats... found your second wind, have you?" Yet, he wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. He grabbed a bottle of water, and before the cheering crowd, he hiked his T-shirt up to his chest. With his other hand, he swiped the bottle across his taut, defined abs in a sharp, fluid motion. The cap popped off, spinning into the dirt. The field erupted in thunderous applause. "Incredible! Instructor, you're the man!" "So cool! You're the hottest guy on this field!" "Eight-pack! Look at that waist!" As the praise grew, the comments veered into the territory of the irreverent. "Instructor, can you teach us how to get abs like that?" "Can we see the rest of the muscles? How's the upper body looking?" "Instructor! That T-shirt is just an obstacle! It’s so hot, just take it off!" The instructor’s lip twitched as he looked at the rowdy crowd of college students. His gaze flickered toward the back of the line, where Li Zi sat quietly, not joining in the ruckus. He looked back at the group and gave a predatory, shadowy grin. "An extra thirty minutes of drills tomorrow, and I’ll show you." The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat, but the memory of that lean waist was too tempting. "Deal!" they roared. The instructor shrugged and, with a swift motion, yanked his shirt off and tossed it aside. A powerful, perfectly sculpted physique was revealed. Someone couldn't help but let out a long whistle. Even neighboring squads began to cast lingering, heated glances in their direction. Dozens of students surreptitiously pulled out their phones to snap photos. Yu Tianwu, sitting next to Li Zi, wasn't about to miss the spectacle. She held her phone high, snapping photos with frantic excitement. She nudged Li Zi’s shoulder. "My god, the body on a soldier is something else. I want to sketch him! Hey, I think he’s looking at you!" Li Zi simply shook her head with a faint smile, refusing to take the bait. Unfortunately, the instructor only granted them thirty seconds of glory before retrieving his shirt. A collective groan of disappointment followed. "Remember what you promised today. I expect total focus tomorrow! Attention!" With that, the formation was dismissed. As the sea of students dispersed, Yu Tianwu chattered incessantly at Li Zi’s side. As they reached the shadow of a teaching building, a figure standing under a tree waved at them. Yu Tianwu let out a cheer and sprinted forward. "Yan-ge!" Liu Yan caught her gently as she collided with him. "Waaaaah, Yan-ge, you came to see me! I’m telling you, today was brutal. Our instructor is a total creep!" She didn't care that she was covered in grime; she simply buried her face in his chest. Liu Yan didn't mind the dust, letting her cling to him like a vine. "You've worked hard," he murmured. Li Zi stood a short distance away, watching them with a quiet smile, making no move to interrupt. It was Liu Yan who noticed her and, with a slight blush, offered a greeting. "Sister Li Zi." She nodded. "Make sure she gets back early tonight. There’s a surprise dormitory inspection." Liu Yan, still holding the wriggling Yu Tianwu, replied, "Understood. I'll see to it." Once they had walked off, Li Zi turned and headed back to the dorm. Only Hua Yi was there, preparing for a shower. Seeing Li Zi enter, she began to tease. "Oh? If it isn't the star of the first platoon, the model soldier Li Zi?" Li Zi rubbed her temples. "Don't even start." "Where's Xie Bing? Out again?" "Yeah," Hua Yi replied, shaking her head. "She rushed back, took a five-minute shower, and bolted to work. I honestly don't know where she gets the energy." Li Zi was genuinely moved by Xie Bing’s relentless work ethic. "One of these days, we need to give her an award. 'The Most Dedicated Worker of Room 1308.'" The subject of their conversation had just arrived at "Delicious." Since it was the peak dinner hour, the small shop was packed. Li Qingliu was a whirlwind of activity behind the counter. Seeing her arrive, he didn't look relieved; instead, he pulled her into the kitchen, his brow furrowed. "Didn't I tell you that you don't have to come in during military training?" Xie Bing shook her head stubbornly. "You can't handle this rush alone. Besides, I'm an employee. I take a salary, so I do the work. I can't just keep taking leave." Li Qingliu sighed at her bluntness. How was he supposed to tell her he just didn't want her to be too tired? For a boss to say such things felt... inappropriate. Seeing her already efficiently donning her uniform, he could only retreat to the stoves to manage the mountain of orders. As he turned to leave, he noticed a smudge of dust just below her ear, near the sensitive skin of her neck. She must have missed it in her rush to wash up. Without thinking, Li Qingliu reached out and brushed the mark away with his thumb. It was only when he saw Xie Bing’s startled eyes fixed on him that he realized the intimacy of the gesture. He pulled his hand back as if burned, trying to maintain a facade of calm. "There was... some dirt there. I got it for you." "Oh. Thanks, Brother Qing." Xie Bing didn't seem to think much of it. Li Qingliu, however, practically fled back to the kitchen, cursing his own impulsive hands. *Thank god she’s oblivious,* he thought, *otherwise, that would have been incredibly awkward.* Xie Bing stood there for a moment, scratching the spot he had touched. It did feel a bit itchy, after all. Meanwhile, Liu Yan was struggling to navigate the campus with a giant "human plushie" attached to him. Yu Tianwu, who was nearly as tall as he was, was acting like a spoiled child, claiming her legs were broken and insisting he carry her. "Aren't you afraid of running into someone you know?" Liu Yan asked, trying to coax her along. "Let's just get to the gate, and we'll take a taxi back to my place, okay?" "Noooooo—" she drawled, her voice muffled against his neck. "Should I carry you on my back then?" "No—" Liu Yan was at a loss. When they had first met, he never would have guessed that beneath Yu Tianwu’s glamorous, sophisticated exterior lay such a clingy, affectionate soul. "Tianwu, I think someone you know is looking at you," Liu Yan said, his tone turning serious. Yu Tianwu didn't believe him. *Yan-ge smells so good,* she thought. *Even if Alpha pheromones are supposed to be aggressive, his are just... intoxicating. Sniff, sniff...* "Tianwu!" Liu Yan nudged her again. Reluctantly, she lifted her head and followed his gaze. It was indeed an acquaintance—Xia Tian, the Omega senior she had been seeing casually during her freshman year. It was, ironically, because she had accompanied him to the hospital for a gastroscopy that she had reunited with Liu Yan. Yu Tianwu stood up straight and waved with a casual air. "Hi, Senior Xia Tian!" Xia Tian’s expression was bittersweet. He had once thought things would progress between them, given how proactive she had been. But toward the end of the semester, the communication had simply withered away. He had assumed she had found a new target; after all, Yu Tianwu’s reputation as a flirtatious "butterfly" was well-known on campus. She was friendly to everyone, making everyone feel special while ensuring no one actually was. But he never expected to see her with an Alpha. And an Alpha who looked... so ordinary. "Hello, Junior. Long time no see." "I guess it has been," she replied easily. An awkward silence stretched between them. Liu Yan gave Yu Tianwu’s sleeve a gentle tug, prompting her to end the discomfort. "Did you need something, Senior? If not, Yan-ge and I are heading out." "Yan-ge?" Xia Tian knew he should let it go, but the sting of rejection lingered. He asked the question he already knew the answer to. "Is this your brother?" "No, he's my boyfriend." Yu Tianwu’s answer was sharp and decisive, leaving no room for hope. She still wore her trademark friendly smile, but Xia Tian could finally see the terrifying wall of distance hidden behind it. "I see," he said, looking somewhat pathetic. "I have something to take care of. Goodbye." "Bye, Senior!" The moment he was gone, Yu Tianwu’s expression shifted back to playfulness, and she slumped back onto Liu Yan. Liu Yan actually felt a pang of pity for the Omega boy; it felt as though he had stolen someone else’s prize. Sensing his thoughts, Yu Tianwu began to tease him. "The Tianwu-brand Liu Yan Express is departing! Move it! Your passenger is about to expire!" Liu Yan laughed, his worries about Xia Tian vanishing. He half-carried, half-dragged her toward the school gates. An hour later, both had showered and were lounging on the bed in the air-conditioned room. Yu Tianwu sprawled across Liu Yan, pinning him down. He struggled playfully, their limbs tangling until the physical exertion left them both flushed and breathless. As they settled into a "truce," Yu Tianwu began scrolling through her phone, giggling. "Yan-ge, let me tell you, Li Zi has had it rough lately." Liu Yan was curious. "Sister Li Zi? What happened?" "Our instructor is obsessed with her. He’s always pulling her out to be the representative and making her do extra drills, hahahaha!" Yu Tianwu leaned in, her eyes sparkling with gossip. "I think the instructor actually has a thing for her." Liu Yan’s eyes widened. "What? The instructor likes her?" Yu Tianwu nodded vigorously and pulled up a photo. "I have to admit, the guy is top-tier. Look at this body. Wow... he’s like a modern-day David!" Liu Yan looked at the photo and had to concede. "He is in incredible shape." Without a second thought, he hit 'forward' and sent it to Li Zhenting. *** "Brother Li, I heard Sister Li Zi’s military instructor might have a thing for her." "Huh? So what? Plenty of people like her. Am I supposed to police every single one of them?" "The instructor’s physique is... well, see for yourself." *[Image.jpg]* "..." "F*ck." ***